Urban Hiking: Richland Creek Greenway

Tara and I discussed hiking at nearby Montgomery State Park on Saturday, but we called an audible after we saw the puddle of rain water at the end of the driveway that morning. It hadn't rained since Thursday, but we guessed the pool of water out front was a good indication that the trails a few miles up the road in Burns would be pretty muddy. One or two pairs of muddy shoes isn't so bad, but five pairs are more than we care to deal with. We bantered about a couple of ideas before deciding to visit Nashville to explore a section of the completely paved greenway path that circles the McCabe Golf Course.

    McCabe Golf Course

A sunny Saturday in January with highs in the 40s brings all the golfers out of hibernation in middle Tennessee. Thus, McCabe was a busy place to be on this particular morning. Many of the golfers had their electric carts wrapped in plastic to eliminate the wind chill as they darted from the fairways and roughs to the greens and sandtraps. Tall fencing is all that separates the course from the greenway path in some places. At one point a golfer in a cart was driving slowly near the fence, adjacent to where we were walking. As he was studying the fence line closely, it was apparent he was looking for his ball. How I wished at that moment I had a Titleist in my pocket so that I could have asked him if that was what he was playing.

Near the eighth hole tee box at McCabe

The greenway path and the course's cart path often come in close proximity with each other and even intersect once or twice. To this end, it is fairly easy to inadvertently wind up on the wrong path. This wasn't the case with the picture above, as we intentionally stepped over on the wrong path for the picture above. After snapping the picture, we quickly hopped back on the greenway. I witnessed one jogger, however, who was either blissfully unaware or was intentionally disregarding the rules by utilizing the cart path for her running pleasure. And she was running without a helmet - not a good idea when surrounded by a large number of out-of-season golfers, many of whom hadn't likely picked up a club in months.

The loop around McCabe is 2.6 miles. We made it to the end, rang the bell so to speak, and then proceeded to retrace our steps for a 5.2-mile walk. The trail takes the walker, jogger, or bicycler along the edge of the charming, but overrated, Sylvan Park neighborhood, over Richland Creek and behind the military reserve post and Nashville State Community College. From there, the path winds back over the creek, behind St. Thomas Hospital and Aquinas College, and then back to the McCabe clubhouse.

Heading over Richland Creek

We had plenty of company on the path. Many people were out enjoying the mild, sun-filled weather during what is typically a cold, gloomy month. It was breezy at times in the open areas, but for the most part the wind was imperceptible. This urban hike turned out to be a great alternative to our regular, forested hikes.

Near the trailhead - channel 4 antenna is in the background